14. The Farmhouse

6/10/11: John couldn't make it tonight. Perhaps inspired by the Dungeon Crawl Classics Beta, I tried some different stuff. All the 'save or die' traps in the original module were converted to 'save or drop to 0 and make death saves'. It worked fine. Also I've turned most fights into skill challenge fights to make sure we get done by 2 AM. That worked too.

The heroes had just obtained The Orb of Golden Death from a drow called Falkritch. Fayte touched it and immediately knew its' powers, and shared her knowledge with the others. Raina made a brief appearance, with urgent news for Jurod. Jurod and Garweez left back through the tunnel with Raina to take are of a 'private matter'.

The orb could shoot poison rays, and the wielder could detect lies. But, Lolth and Noticula could sense where they were at all times. Also, Lolth and Nocticula could not harm the wielder, and conversely the wielder could not harm them with the skull. The more the wielder used its' power, the more of a chance that they would become a thrall to the two demon lords.

The orb also controlled the throne in the main temple above. The throne could lower down to the third level, into some kind of grand temple area...

The heroes searched around and began hoarding Smigmal and Falkritch's belongings. Smigmal had a veritable arsenal. Fayte took a liking to Smigmal's mancatcher, and snatched it up.

Harmony began to get greedy. She repeatedly requested to have more jewelry, especially coveting a pair of necklaces worth 2,000 gold each. Carric found a wand - a wand of a wonder, to be exact. The heroes could tell that it was imbued with wild magic. Carric used it on a chair. An invisible marching band began to play and march about, only to vanish 16 seconds later.

They found a crystal ball. Fayte activated it. It turns out the ball was something Falkritch used to talk with Nocticula! Nocticula appeared in view and side, "What is it, Falkritch... WHAT?! YOU?!?". Fayte shut it off real quick.

Harmony continued to complain, and even insulted Carric. She told the heroes he could use the wand on her if she could have a necklace. The heroes agreed. Carric aimed the wand at her, and she became a giant bunny! She had white fur with a pinkish hue, and her intelligence was reduced to that of any other rabbit.

Her stuff fell all around her... jewels, coins.. and a brass tube that opened when it struck the ground. A fire slamander flew out! Harmony was an agent of the fire temple! Fayte killed the salamander with her mancatcher as it tried to escape. The heroes decided to leave Harmony as a rabbit for now. Carric spent some time with her and trained her o become a mount.

Having loaded up on treasure, the adventurers headed back through the tunnel they came from, and made their way to the cave where the split was. They decided to check out the other tunnel on Carric's map he found in the broken tower - the one that lead to a 'farmhouse'. The tunnel led to the inside of an empty well. Heron used his rod of lordly might to create a ladder. The heroes climbed up and there was, indeed, a run-down cottage and barn outside.

Fayte investigated and found that the place was abandoned, save for six well-kept horses. he place was probably used by the soldiers in the broken tower, who the heroes had killed.

The adventurers slept there. The next morning, they made their way through the tunnel back to the tower where they took all of the guards' provisions and closed up the door. They brought the stuff to their farmhouse. Then the heroes made their way through the tunnels back to the third level of the dungeon.

They searched Falkritch and Smigmal's rooms as well as the intersecting room, and found a trap door in the ceiling. The heroes had a heck of a time getting "Harmony Hellbunny" up there, but they did it. They came up into an empty room. They made their way down a hallway and went through a door. The door led to a triangular room with four doors. The heroes opened one, and inside were two black-garbed bugbears! They shouted and attacked!

One slashed Carric with its' bardiche. Fayte used her mancatcher to slice the throat of a bugbear and push him against the wall, choking him to death. Heron killed the other bugbear by converting his rod of lordly might into a spear and impaling the other one with it.

From another door came six more bugbears! In fact, there were creatures behind each door in the room, and they began pouring out one after the other.

Carric took aim and killed two bugbears as they raced toward the adventurers. Fayte used the mancatcher to grab one by the throat and slide it onto another bugbear's bardiche! Heron used his staff to pole-vault over Harmony and killed the final two bugbears with his staff.

Four ogres came rumbling out of the third doorway. One heaved a javelin at Carric. He ducked it and fired two arrows imbued with elemental spirits. Two ogres dropped dead. Another ogre grabbed Fayte and used her as a weapon! She smashed Heron with her and laughed!

Then a hill giant and its' pet giant wolf emerged from the final room to aid the two ogres. He flung a boulder that his Carric right in the face! The ogre holding Fayte squeezed her as tight as he could. She swiftly retrieved the minty groin rub she'd purchased in Nolivari and jabbed it in the ogre's eye! The ogre screamed in pain and fell over and died. Heron goaded the hill giant into throwing another boulder. Heron dodged it and the boulder hit and killed the final ogre.

The hill giant and wolf stared down the heroes. The wolf charged Carric, but Carric plugged it full of arrows and killed it. Fayte dodged a boulder and whacked Harmony the giant rabbit on the butt, prompting her to kick the boulder back at the hill giant! The boulder hit the giant square int he chest and had him reeling. Heron ran up, and killed the giant with a flying staff strike.

The adventurers rested for a few minutes and then decided not to use the stairwell in this room. It lead up, and the heroes wanted to continue to explore this, the third level of the dungeon.

They headed south to a large room doted with statues of different monsters. Hovering between them were floating, glowing balls of light.. will o' wisps! The wisps sparked and closed in on the heroes. Carric held out his wand and created a ten by ten cage which imprisoned him! A wisp began to drain heron's spirit. One flashed a blinding light at Fayte. She reflected the light with her shield and spooked the wisp, which flew off.

A wisp flew through the bars of Carric's cell. He fired point blank and destroyed it with a magic arrow! Another wisp floated toward Carric's cage as his friends battled a wisp that blinded Fayte. He aimed his wand at it... and called forth another cage. Carric was now trapped in two cages, one slightly larger than the next. Carric aimed his wand yet again, and turned the blue wisp hot pink! It panicked and flew off.

Heron destroyed the final wisp with a blow from his staff. Carric and Fayte tipped the cells over, freeing Carric. The heroes began to investigate each statue...

Medusa: Heron crept up behind it and put a blindfold on it, just in case. He saw it was wearing a real cloak. After a bit of scrutinizing and prodding, he put it on. Poison filled his veins, and he died! Randor healed him. It was a cloak of poisonousness.

Beholder: The beholder statue was looking down at a scroll tube. Fayte grabbed it with her mancatcher, safely triggering the fire trap spell on it. Inside the tube was a linked portal ritual.

Dragon: The dragon was looking down at a copper box. The heroes discerned that the box was a magic item called Leomund's Labile Locker. It could be used like a bag of holding, but could also shrink and expand big enough to fit Harmony Hellbunny inside!

Fire Giant: Held a cursed spear. Heron took it and threw it, and it turned and almost hit him mid-flight! Poor Heron was magically duped into thinking that the spear was perfect and he refused to let anyone take it from him.

Mummy: Held a staff in one hand and a vial of acid in the other. Heron set off the glyph of warding on the normal staff, blinding himself and Fayte for a time.

Ogre Mage: The statue held a magic stone that, when thrown, could turn an enemy to ice! It was only usable once.Rakshasa: Had a ring of x-ray vision on its' finger. Carric took it.

Wight: At its' feet was an urn worth 20,000 gold! Carric used his x-ray vision to discern that the urn was full of dust. Fayte used her mancatcher to pull it close, causing dust to explode out of it and cause choking and sneezing.. and death! Carric and Fayte both died from the dust! Heron survived. Randor healed them.

The heroes decided it was time to rest. They had much more exploration to do....